Saturday, March 3

Some lesser known facts (and some stuff I made up) about the 1/35 Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.A 4.Serie/La.S. - Smart Kit from Dragon

Dragonkeep
to their relentless schedule of new and in this case an updating of older kits
with their new1/35
Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.A 4.Serie/La.S. - Smart Kit. Having added a new slide
moulded deck to this kit to keep up with modeller’s demands there is plenty of
other things to like about this kit – read on in our preview to see what to
expect.Some history first - and some pictures to illustrate and some little known Panzer I facts... (mine are in Bold just in case you get lost)

Did you know the Panzer I competed in the Olympics?... These guys made it - unlike some others further on..

As Germany attempted to rearm in the 1930s in the lead-up to
WWII, the military leadership relied heavily on the Pz.Kpfw.I. Some 1,493
examples of all types were built and these light tanks served in the early
campaigns even though they were supposed to be just training platforms. Mass
production of the Ausf.A commenced in April 1934, with this version having four
road wheels per side, and production continued until June 1936.

These tankers couldn't get past the car-park fence...

To conceal its
true function, Germany originally labelled these vehicles as
Landwirtschaftlicher Schlepper (“agricultural tractor”, La.S.). The fourth
production run (Series 4) was the final type in the Ausf.A family. The Panzer I
featured a rotating turret with two 7.92mm MG13 Dreyse machine guns. The
vehicle was thinly armoured with just 13mm steel at its thickest point. It
operated with a crew of two men. The small and vulnerable tank was eventually
phased out in favour of better and heavier designs.

These guys got lost altogether!!

Now for the serious stuff....Dragon is offering a fine 1/35 scale Smart Kit of a
4.Serie/La.S. Version of the Panzer I. The kit depicts a vehicle slightly later
in origin than the Early-Production Panzer I Ausf.A released earlier (Item
No.6289). Indeed, this Ausf.A variant is a welcome addition to Dragon’s Panzer
I line-up as it utilizes some high-quality components from previous kits, but
mixed with a range of brand new elements specifically introduced for this
4.Serie tank.

These modifications include a newly tooled engine deck that’s
made with the aid of slide moulds, and the louvred hatch that’s positioned
near the rear of the deck. The kit has the correct suspension and transmission
inspection cover for this variant. The track links may be tiny but they’re
perfectly produced via Magic Tracks with no need for time-consuming cleanup.
The Panzer I may have been small in size, but this model kit possesses an
enormous stature in terms of quality and ease of construction. TheBox Size is 9.6" x 15" x 2.4"

Features:

- New multi-directional slide-molded engine deck appropriate
for this version